User Reviews

Strengths: Pretty sticky for a cross-country tire. Corners well, climbs great, super lite. Can't find anything else suitable for tubeless that isn't A) too heavy [crossmarks are OVER 700 grams] or B] a ghetto solution that is unreliable for riding or racing. Tubeless-ready is a concept that ALL tire makers should have embraced years ago. It saves a pound-and-a-half of rotating weight. Really shines on technical climbs, and rips through loose-over-hard.

Weaknesses: Waaaaayy narrower than stated. 2.25"? Please, it's not even funny. Can't we all just use the ISO mm standard? Rear tire seems to wear a bit fast, and not as plush as Crossmarks, but you can't win them all - being limited by physics.

Bottom Line:

These tires have served me well in some of the nastiest, gnarliest terrain you will ever find in a race, period. They "bite" just as well into the ground as my all-time-fave Crossmarks, but at nearly 400 grams less per pair. They float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, when you set them up right. That said ...

USE THE RIGHT PRESSURE. These tires are high-volume, designed specifically with low pressures in mind - we're talking 25psi. They also work best with a decent-width rim, i.e. not a road-inspired 17mm internal [look up Sheldon Brown's rim width analysis - you'll see that these narrow rims are better suited to tires that are 1.25" wide].

If you insist on being an idiot and using 35 psi and more, it will feel terrible. If you are using a rim in which you can barely fit your pinky finger, it will roll.

I detest these tires. First, we will start with the traction. You can't climb any considerable size incline that may be the least bit technical. These tires loose traction on the smallest obstacle. In smooth running singletrack switchbacks, dont cut to hard, you WILL wash the front end out and take a spill. It doesnt matter wet or dry, these tires don't have traction. You have to treat everything as if it is muddy or icy.

Secondly, they dont hold air. I went to a tubeless set up about a month ago and havent been able to keep air in them since. I dunked the tires and noticed numerous small pinhole sized holes in the sidewalls. The tires also leak around the bead.

Thirdly, they are so expensive for the tire that you are getting. $50 for this tire is unbelievably expensive!

Overall, if I could give zero (0) peppers, I would. Dont buy them. If you do, you will regret it and then your going to be telling yourself that you should have listened to the guy from Tulsa, Ok.

I'm not finding these as bad as what I'm reading. I've ran them in hard packed, wet root/mud races and found them fine. I did notice some instability in fast cornering that I had to get used to since using the heavily edged Dart. I also punished them in some fast, large/loose rock descents without any trouble. Only one flat after two seasons of racing and riding. They are now showing signs of wear but seems time now so I can't complain.

These tires should be renamed the "slip n sliders" because the traction is nothing short of an absolute joke. Simply put: these are not mountain biking tires. In fact, I'd say they're downright dangerous.

But that begs the question: why would a reputable bike manufacturer like Trek put such junky tires on an otherwise outstanding and class-leading bicycle?

At 485 grams, these tires allow Trek to keep the overall weight of their bikes at "marketable" levels. It's like when you read the fine print underneath the weight figure and see where it says "without pedals." That is, Trek wants you to go out and put your own tires on their bikes. Otherwise, what you're getting is basically no tires at all.

Secondly, the vast majority of people who aren't going to switch the tires out are the ones who probably aren't that serious about the sport of mountain biking anyway. These are the people who spend a majority of their riding on flat dirt roads or even paved bike paths. In which case, the Bontrager Jones XR (aka slip n sliders) are perfectly for either of those conditions.

I gave them two chilis because at they're better than slicks and they can be converted to tubeless without too much hassle.

Have been using the 26 x 2.25 front tire on my Racer-X for a few months, and the 26 x 2.2 back tire on a Soul Cycles Hooligan singlespeed. Let's just say that if you ride anything other than pure hardpack with VERY LITTLE loose or rocky conditions, you will likely end up hating these tires. They are very light, fast rolling and seal well on tubeless rims with sealant(running the front one on a Crossmax SL, and the other on a Stan's 355 ZTR rim.) Otherwise, I hate them. First, they were expensive - almost $50 a tire at the LBS. The front washes out easily and even at low pressures bounces around off rocks as bad as any tire I've owned. Drop the pressure too low (sub 30 psi) and the tire wobbles and squirms. The rear is better. It seems to grip decently well on my singlespeed, but you have to run it reverse of the stated rolling direction. The downside to the rear is that it is wearing faster than any tire I've ever owned. Looking forward to wearing out these tires so I can replace them with something better for all-condition riding.